


Scarier Than Pennywise

by Theamazingannie



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, I just love the losers club so much, M/M, mild homophobia cuz its 1989
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-10-20 10:03:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20673581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theamazingannie/pseuds/Theamazingannie
Summary: It was hard enough being fourteen. The acne, the voice changes, and everything else that came with puberty. It was hard enough being a loser. Bullied for your hair, your clothes, your glasses. It was hard enough being unrequitedly in love with your best friend.It was so much worse to be all three in 1989, especially when your best friend was another boy. It was so much worse when your bullies were about to make that fact public.Life was about to suck for Richie Tozier.





	Scarier Than Pennywise

**Author's Note:**

> It's well after 1 am and I have stats homework I still need to do, but I needed to write this because this clown movie got me Fucked. Up.

It was hard enough being fourteen. The acne, the voice changes, and everything else that came with puberty. It was hard enough being a loser. Bullied for your hair, your clothes, your glasses. It was hard enough being unrequitedly in love with your best friend.

It was so much worse to be all three in 1989, especially when your best friend was another boy. It was so much worse when your bullies were about to make that fact public.

Life was about to suck for Richie Tozier.

Richie had known it was a mistake, that day in the arcade. He had been stupid. He trusted someone he shouldn't have. Now he was going to pay the price.

The fight against Pennywise had distracted him from his problem. Now, summer was over. School would start tomorrow. Richie's life was over tomorrow. Even if the town didn't know yet, they would know tomorrow. As soon as all the kids were back in the same building, remembering all the events that happened that summer, someone was bound to remember the events that took place at the arcade. There was no escaping it.

Richie realized that, if he was going to die tomorrow, he wanted to visit the Clubhouse one last time. He should have it to himself, seeing as the losers had just dispersed from their blood oath ceremony. Everyone else would be enjoying their last day of summer.

He dropped down into the Clubhouse, eyeing the hammock. His heart skipped a beat remembering the time Eddie climbed in with him, their legs tangled up together. For a moment that day, he let himself believe that Eddie could feel something for him, too, and that they lived in a world where feelings like that could exist. He sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, knees pressed up against his chest. He wasn't in the mood for the hammock, for all of the memories it brought up, all the feelings he would rather forget. He felt a tear slide down his cheek, and suddenly they wouldn't stop. He was ugly sobbing, his face a hot mess. He was glad to have this space to himself, to let these feelings out without anyone there to judge him. Or worse, pity him.

He stopped short when he heard the latch move and then someone was coming in and, oh God, it was him.

_No no no no_, Richie thought, panicking. _Anybody but him._ He quickly rubbed at his eyes, knowing nothing he could do would hide the fact that he'd been crying, but trying nonetheless because he didn't want Eddie to see him like this.

As soon as Eddie dropped down, he turned and screamed.

Richie looked around him in a panic before realizing that he was the one who startled the other boy. "Woah there, Eddie spaghetti. Where's the fire?"

Eddie seemed to realize that there was no immediate danger around and calmed himself down. "Oh. Right. Sorry. God, what the hell are you doing sitting in the dark, Richie? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" Richie tried to think of a snappy comeback, but his brain went blank. When he remained silent, Eddie's whole demeanor changed. "Are you alright?"

Richie sniffed, wiping at his eyes quickly. "Yeah, I'm fine. No problem here. Everything is sunshine and rain-" He stopped short. "Rainbows," he said softer. He really couldn't escape it, could he?

Eddie lowered himself down in front of Richie. "Hey, what's wrong?"

Richie shook his head. "I can't tell you."

Eddie laid his hand on Richie's knee and Richie immediately pulled away. His heart panged at the hurt look on Eddie's face. Touching, however subconscious it might be at times, was kind of their thing. Brushing shoulders, jumping on each other, the day in the hammock. It was the only thing Richie could do to be close to Eddie without anyone knowing the reason why he wanted to be close to him. Now, it just reminded him of everything he could never have.

Eddie let his hand drop to his side and scooched over to Richie's side, letting their shoulders touch each other. Richie sucked in a quick breath and prayed that Eddie couldn't hear how fast his heart was racing. "Richie," Eddie said shortly. It was the same way he said Richie's name whenever Richie said something stupid to rile Eddie up and he wasn't having it. "We just recently defeated a clown that manifests as our worst fears. I stood up to my mother about all the gazebos she was making me take." Richie wasn't sure at this point if Eddie still believed they were called "gazebos", or if he just said that to make Richie smile. If it was the latter, it worked. "We can handle anything else life throws at us. Together."

Richie took in a shaky breath. "I just don't know if you'll want to if you know."

"That's ridiculous, Richie. I've put up with you and your trashmouth all these years. What could you possibly say to make me not want to hang out with you anymore?"

"I'm gay," Richie blurted.

Eddie snapped his head to look at Richie. Richie couldn't bring himself to look at him. "You are?" Eddie asked quietly. He looked down.

They sat in silence for what felt like forever. Richie couldn't take it anymore. "See? I knew you wouldn't be able to handle it." The tears came back to his eyes and he began to ramble. "I thought I could be able to keep it a secret, at least until I got the fuck out of Derry, but then I was at the arcade, and there was this boy, but he was Bowers' cousin, and he told everyone I was a fairy, and now everyone at school is gonna know, and I'm gonna be all alone cuz I couldn't manage to keep the gay in and that's really gonna suck not having the Losers Club, especially you because I like you, more than I'm supposed to like a friend, and I was so stupid to think that everything was gonna be fine and-"

Eddie grabbed Richie's face and kissed him. It was only for a second, short enough that Richie thought he had imagined it, but Eddie was staring at him with wide eyes, his mouth slightly open, and Richie forgot how to breathe for a moment. "I like you, too," Eddie told him, still staring at him like he'd seen a ghost. He sat back, his face slowly turning from a light pink to a bright red. Richie felt the same thing happen to his own face.

Richie wiped at his eyes, not knowing what to say. He had dreamed of this moment for a long time, never imagining that it would become a reality. A small smile appeared on his lips and he racked his mind for something smooth to say. "So, uh, you come here often?"

Eddie glared at him. "I kiss you and that's all you can say, dumbass?"

Richie adjusted his glasses. "What can I say? I'm like candy to the whole Kaspbrak clan. You all can't get enough of me."

Eddie elbowed him and they sat in silence for a while, Eddie absentmindedly playing with Richie's fingers. It was something they'd done a thousand times before, but this time felt different. "You shouldn't have to go through this alone," Eddie said finally.

They both jumped when the latch once again was opened and Bill climbed down the ladder, followed by the rest of the losers. "He won't have to," Bill said.

Richie and Eddie exchanged a panicked look. "How long were you listening to us?" Richie asked slowly.

The other losers looked guilty. "A while," Beverly admitted. She sat down on Richie's other side, laying her head on his shoulder. The others gathered around the three of them, all giving Richie supportive smiles. "We're here for you, Richie. Always will be."

"Yeah," Bill agreed. "If anyone has a p-problem with it, they can t-take it up with us."

Richie looked around at them. "You're not, like, disgusted or anything?"

"Of course not," Beverly told him.

"Yeah, we're cool," Mike added.

"I always knew," Stan said. Richie looked at him, confused, and he shrugged. "I mean, you guys are two of my best friends. You were pretty obvious about it. You're always on top of each other, always touching. I was just waiting until you two figured it out. And now you have!" He smiled.

Richie laughed suddenly, and everyone else joined in. "Thanks, guys. But aren't you worried you'll be targetted, too?"

"Comes with the territory of being a Loser," Ben said. "They're gonna come after you for something. Might as well be for being yourself." He paused, fidgeting with his hands. "I should probably tell you guys my secret, too." He took a deep breath. "I love New Kids On the Block. Like, I'm obsessed." Everyone began laughing again.

"We appreciate your bravery, Ben," Mike told him.

They stayed like that for a few more hours, laughing and joking around. Richie and Eddie continued playing with each other's hands, shooting each other bright smiles every once in a while. At that moment, Richie couldn't believe that he had ever thought that his friends wouldn't accept him. They were the Losers Club, and they had each other's backs through anything, from evil clowns to small-minded kids. He knew then that, no matter what faced him at school the next day, he could handle it, his best friends at his side.

Richie and his friends, minus Mike who was homeschooled and Bev who was in Portland with her aunt, stood outside the doors to the middle school. This moment was almost scarier than facing down Pennywise, and he realized he was shaking.

"Are you ready?" Eddie asked him, looking just as nervous as Richie felt.

He nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be." He felt Bill's hand on his shoulder as he walked into the building. Immediately, the kids started noticing him and whispering to their friends. He heard phrases like "arcade" and "Henry Bowers' cousin" as he walked by. He put all of his energy into keeping his head held high. He felt like he was gonna break until he felt a hand slip into his, and he looked at Eddie in surprise. "They'll come after you, too," he whispered.

Eddie gave him a nervous smile. "Let them," he whispered back. "I told you, you shouldn't go through this alone."

Richie nodded, then grinned. "Well, then let's give them something to talk about." He shoved Eddie against the nearest locker and kissed him. Not the quick peck Eddie had given him last night. A real kiss. It was slobbery and gross, but it was Eddie and it didn't matter. He could feel everyone's eyes on him, but the whispering stopped. It was like the whole school was in shock. He pulled back and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. Eddie was still frozen in shock. "Well, cheerio, govna," he said in his British accent to the staring crowd. "It's a swell day, is it not? Come now, Eds. We don't want to be late for our first day, do we?"

"Don't call me that," Eddie said, breaking out of his stupor. But he grabbed Richie's hand again, continuing their walk to their lockers, their guard losers in tow. No one messed with them the whole day. They had faced bigger demons than this. There was nothing more for them to be afraid of, and the other kids sensed it. They were always going to be losers, but they were never again going to be the victims. Richie didn't know if they had defeated Pennywise that summer, but he would be ready in 27 years if they hadn't. And that motherfucker was going down.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this! I'm used to writing more fluff pieces, but I had a lot of feelings to get out. I have an aged up multi-chapter reddie fic posted that I've been working on, and I am sure I will have more later. Feel free to message me on my tumblr @theamazingannie if you have any requests and I will try to work something out!


End file.
